One of the things my clients have found most frustrating is working out a deal with a freelancer or contractor, only to have the price change later down the road.
While quoted rates do sometimes go up - particularly if the project changes - the more information you can provide a freelance writer upfront, the better the price quote will be.
What information is that?
1. The approximate word count. I charge clients a different rate for content that is 400 words than content that is 2,000 words or more. If you don't know the approximate word count for your specific project, look online and find content similar to what you want and use that as a general guide.
2. Your deadline. As a freelance writer, I am very structured about my schedule, carefully planning which project I will work on and when. Therefore, if you want to give me a project with an extremely short deadline, I may charge a little more since it means working longer days to better accommodate your needs.
3. Whether it's a one-off project or you need continued content. Several writers, myself included, will give you a reduced rate if you need a bunch of content at one time or are interested in establishing a long term relationship. Plus, in working together over time, the content becomes easier to create because I have a better idea of what you expect. I pass that along by giving you a discounted price.
4. If additional research is required. Are you planning to give the freelance writer all of the data necessary to write the piece or do they need to go and find it on their own? Typically, the more work a writer needs to do to create a finalized work, the higher the price.
5. Whether interviews will need to be conducted. I charge a different rate for articles that require that I interview other people. The reason for this is they take quite a bit more time between trying to set up the interview, holding the interview, and then conducting follow up.
Sharing this type of information at the very beginning can help a freelance writer give you the best price quote possible, an action that can keep your budget in line and in check!
